Distribution

Leslie’s Poolmart Inc. plans to make a splash in select cities this month as it opens 15 new retail locations throughout the United States on April 9.

During the store grand openings between April 9 and April 13, customers will receive 20% off most everything in the store. Each store's grand opening will also be celebrated with a ribbon cutting and other events.

Seattle - Amazon.com Inc. has expanded Prime Now service to Atlanta. The expedited delivery service, offered exclusively as a benefit to Prime members, provides one-hour delivery on tens of thousands of items through a mobile app.

Canton, Mass. – Dunkin’ Donuts has signed multi-unit store development agreements with two existing franchise groups to develop seven restaurants in Illinois during the next several years. The two franchise groups and their development plans include:

Aliso Viejo, Calif. -- Johnny Rockets recently signed the largest development deal in the brand's history, with a plan to open 100 restaurants in China, with the first scheduled to open in 2016.

The largest retailer of party supplies in the United States, Party City, has filed paperwork for an initial public offering of its shares.

The company, which sells party supplies, decorations and costumes, said it expects the offering of 21.9 million shares to be priced at between $15 and $17 per share.

Party City Holdco Inc. is expected to be valued at nearly $2 billion in its initial public offering, the first by a U.S. retailer this year.

Minneapolis — Target Canada announced that it will complete its inventory liquidation efforts and close the last of its 133 Canadian retail stores to the public on April 12.

Target will complete its inventory liquidation efforts and close the last of its 133 Canadian retail stores by April 12.

The retailer has already shut down 46 stores across Canada and will close another 32 on April 2; 18 on April 4; and 24 on April 8. The final 13 stores will close just days after that.

Walmart Vice President of Supply Chain Services Debbie Hodges is the featured speaker at the April gathering of Doing Business in Bentonville.

The organization recently confirmed that Hodges would be the featured speaker at an event to be held Thursday April 16 at 7 a.m. at the Four Points by Sheraton in Bentonville.

Among the topics Hodges plans to address are the role and structure of the Supply Chain Services team, key initiatives currently underway and the impact on suppliers.

By Rich Thompson, JLL
 
Port problems on the West coast are giving retailers more than just a headache; it’s more like a severe case of sea sickness. But diversifying supply chain strategies can take the edge off.

Ace Hardware is following the omnichannel retail fulfillment trend of free same-day store pickup for online orders.

The retailer had launched the service at some stores in 2014, but is now rolling it out nationwide.

The program “enables consumers in neighborhoods across the country to complete their home maintenance projects more quickly and easily than they were able to before,” Jeff Gooding, the retailer’s senior director of consumer marketing, said in a statement.